Maryland’s most anti-gun county has continued its tantrum, lashing out against lawful carry in the only way it thinks it can. Yesterday, the Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to pass Bill 21-22E, to remove the exemption for Wear & Carry (W&C) permit holders from the county’s ban on possessing firearms “in or within 100 yards of a place of public assembly,” which includes parks and churches, banning carry in those places. It will go into effect immediately upon the county executive signing it into law.

In the months since we last reported on this proposed ordinance, tens of thousands of Marylanders and nonresidents have received W&C permits. These citizens have gone through firearm training, have submitted fingerprints to the state police, and have passed state police background checks. The pace of applications is not letting up, as shown by the processing time for a W&C permit continuing to drag out. The proposed ordinance exempts law enforcement officers and security guards, but it does not exempt these other law-abiding, trained, and vetted citizens who just wish to defend themselves and their loved ones.

Council members claim that these carry restrictions are needed for public safety due to recent instances of criminals misusing firearms, but they do not cite a single instance of a W&C permit holder being a perpetrator. Violent criminals already violate existing laws by illegally possessing and carrying firearms and can already be prosecuted if caught. The Council has provided no explanation as to how their proclamation disarming W&C permit holders will disarm these criminals.

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